3 ms·
500W is a lot of juice. Consider that 120 times per second, the amp gets no power from the wall and has to rely solely on the power in capacitors. The capacitor
by klodolph 4y ago
500W is a lot of juice. Consider that 120 times per second, the amp gets no power from the wall and has to rely solely on the power in capacitors. The capacitors have to supply the full 500W. Possibly more—something that’s nominally 500W “peak” but driving a speaker may see instantaneous loads much higher.
Modern circuitry has increased efficiency and reduced the heat dissipated by an amp, but the capacitors still need to supply the full amount of power between mains cycles.
It is sometimes easier to get the desired performance out of paralleled banks of capacitors rather than just use one large capacitor. This does look a bit excessive, though.
- amelius 4y agoPerhaps it's a measure against failure? Do these capacitors fail open? Or price, although that would raise new questions. Another is availability of components. Or perhaps the form factor (these capacitors seem slightly less tall than the ones on the other board in the picture).
- klodolph 4y agoDesigning for failure seems unlikely here. I think they just wanted lots of capacitance and a low ESR. Lots of capacitors is a cheap way to get that.